OK. I've heard that too. But those TA cranks are often 60 years old and hard lived as well. And I'm not pushing the TA anyway, it's expensive and more finicky. I can appreciate the parade factor of it. What are some other options that allow for a 26t inner ring on a double without the wide tread of a mountain set? Stronglight (also french) comes to mind, and VO made a (fair, pretty but lesser quality) 94BCD as well. The suggestions (RH, TA) I made allow for a truly wide range double - and also are easily built as a triple as well if the user changes his mind. A 110 BCD requires a "triplizing" middle ring for anything smaller than 33t. This usually means 34t because it's hard to find the 33t. This is fine for randonneuring (light loads) but means walking up hills that a regular guy can ride with a triple granny while loaded touring. - Not that there's anything wrong with walking once in a while!
On Friday, April 6, 2012 8:46:46 AM UTC-4, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery wrote: > > Ablejack: in my understanding, TA cranks were installed on the earliest > MTBs because everything else at the time was 52/39 or thereabouts. Campy > had a triple, but it was 54/42/36! Once some Japanese companies started > making 110/74 cranks in 1983 or so, nobody ever used a TA on a MTB again. > The claim that the TA cranks wouldn't fail is the opposite of my reality. > They failed frequently. Every experienced bike mechanic I've known, and > I've known some great ones, would, upon seeing a TA crank, say, "check it > for cracks," with a dismissive tone as if cracks were standard-issue with > this crank. > > As for looks, that's subjective, of course. To me, the Francophile bikes > are over the top. They often do look good as a package, but I'd feel weird > and self-conscious riding one unless I was in a parade. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/9aFOszoizuMJ. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.